1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid-driven chemical dispensers. Specifically, the invention is a water wheel supplying energy to a pump for applying a chemical to the water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Other inventors have provided various means of dispensing chemicals using wheel-powered dispensers. However, none of these inventions known to the present inventor provide a means of using a water-powered wheel to operate a chemical pump for dispensing a chemical into the water, without the use of electrical power, without relying on high-pressure water, and by using a mechanism as simple as the one developed by the present inventor.
At least three prior inventors have attempted to use water-powered implements to dispense liquids. The first, U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,048, issued to Charles R. Goodman, is a chemical dispensing apparatus for applying fertilizer to a lawn. The apparatus uses a water-powered impeller wheel to operate a piston pump, drawing liquid fertilizer into the impeller chamber so that it is added to the water. The entering water passes through an inlet constriction to increase its velocity. This invention works well when powered by high-pressure water, but will not work with the low-pressure water envisioned by the present inventor.
Second, U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,171, issued to Franz Ernst, describes an apparatus for adding chemicals to liquids comprising a water wheel for measuring the speed of the liquid, connected to a signal generator, which transmits signals to an electromagnetic pump. The signal generator requires electrical power, whereas the present invention is intended to be used where electrical power is unavailable.
Third, U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,176, issued to Mordeki Drori, describes a fluid-driven motor comprising a collapsible tube connected at one end to a source of pressurized fluid, with the pressurized fluid driving a pinch-roller mechanism. The pinch-roller mechanism may be connected to a second flexible tube by a second set of pinch rollers, so that the motor acts to pump the fluid through the second tube. This is contrasted with the present invention's ability to supply power from low-pressure water.
At least two inventors have used water wheels to dispense powder into water. The first, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,800, issued to Darwin J. Ringer et al., describes an apparatus for treatment of acidic water streams wherein a water wheel drives a chain, supplying power to a gear box connected to the auger of a hopper containing powder. The auger dispenses the powder into the water. The second, French Pat. No. 1,060,506, appears to show a system for adding a powdered chemical to water. The water passes over a water wheel, which is connected by a chain to a grinding wheel at the bottom of a hopper containing the chemical. Although useful for dispensing powders, these inventions provide no means of dispensing liquids, unlike the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,515, issued to Leslie W. Johnson and Harry M. Meinert, describes a hopper for dispensing agricultural chemicals. The hopper attaches to an agricultural implement supported by wheels which roll along the ground. The hopper has a feed roll at the bottom, with the upwardly rotating surface of the roll in contact with the chemical to be disbursed. A gate near the upper surface of the feed roll controls the quantity of chemical distributed. The hopper is powered by a chain connected to the agricultural implement's wheel. While useful for dispensing powdered chemicals from agricultural vehicles, this patent does not describe a means of dispensing liquid chemicals into water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,467, issued to Govert J. P. Augustijn and Jacobus H. Beun, describes an apparatus for dispensing detergent into a washing machine comprising a pair of hydraulic chambers, each chamber having a piston, with the pistons powering a pump for the detergent.
None of the above inventions provides a means of adding a liquid chemical to water where the water is at a low pressure, and where there is no electricity readily available. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a water wheel for pumping chemical treatment into water stream solving the aforementioned problems is desired.